Starfleet ranks
The Starfleet rank system has a long history dating back to early space explorers of the Earth Starfleet and its predecessor organizations of astronauts. These ranks used by Starfleet further date back to old Earth navies. Flag officer ranks The most senior section of Starfleet is described as the "flag officers." These ranks are the highest levels of Starfleet Command. :Rank insignia which are only conjecturally designated will be footnoted with an asterisk. Rank insignia with dark backgrounds are not derived from onscreen evidence, but behind the scenes sources or references (such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia). Fleet Admiral The rank of fleet admiral is the most senior flag rank in Starfleet. In 2293, the commander in chief of Starfleet held this rank. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) :The fleet admiral insignia for the system used after TNG season 3 would be five pips enclosed in a rectangular border. At this point, this insignia has not been identified in any onscreen source, but is derived from the Star Trek Encyclopedia. The rank ''has been canonically mentioned in that era, however, but the officers in question wore the insignia of lower ranked admirals, a possible costume mistake, or simply a confusion in nomenclature (they were admirals in command of fleets, but perhaps not fleet admirals). Possibly this rank is only differentiated by this insignia under special circumstances, such as wartime.'' Admiral The second most senior flag rank known to exist in Starfleet is a full admiral. Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a Starfleet flag rank immediately inferior to full admiral, but superior to a rear admiral. Rear Admiral Rear admiral is the lowest grade of admiral in Starfleet. It is inferior to a vice admiral, and superior to a commodore or captain. Commodore The rank of commodore is the lowest flag rank in Starfleet, immediately superior to a captain, and just before rear admiral. At some point in Starfleet history, this rank became known as "rear admiral lower half." :This practice mirrors a change made in the modern-day US Navy eliminating the commodore grade. In TOS, many fleet commanders and other senior personnel were commodores, but by TNG, an officer (Admiral Gregory Quinn) with an equivalent insignia to a commodore was referred to as an admiral, indicating Starfleet made a similar change. Line officer ranks Fleet Captain Fleet Captain is the top Starfleet line rank, bestowed on highly distinguished Starfleet Captains. It is an extremely rare distinction, once held by former Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike in the year 2266. Captain Captain is the most senior regular line rank in Starfleet. It is most often applied to starship and starbase commanders, and the adjutants and executives serving beneath admirals. The equivalent military rank to Starfleet captain is colonel. :In the modern US Navy, captain is a four-stripe officer rank. This insignia style was used in ENT all TNG era productions. During TOS and the Movies it had differing insignia. The TOS captains wore one braid, a broken braid and another braid. However, in the pilot "The Cage" Captain Pike wore only a single rank strip, so it was not clear how other officers were differentiated from captains. By "Where No Man Has Gone Before," Kirk was the only officer with two stripes, but that system din't differentiate any other officer grades below captain except for no-stripe ensigns. Commander Commander is the Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to Captain. Officers at this rank typically hold positions such as space station commander (e.g. Sisko prior to 2372) or first officer of important starships (e.g. Riker, on the Enterprise from 2364-2378). Line officers reaching this rank typically have between 10 and 15 years of experience in Starfleet. Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander is the Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to Commander. Officers with this rank typically hold positions as starship department heads (e.g. Montgomery Scott, Geordi La Forge), or, in some cases, as commanding officer (e.g. Piersall aboard the Prometheus) or first officer of a starship (e.g. Benjamin Sisko aboard the Saratoga, Christopher Hobson aboard the Sutherland). Lieutenant Lieutenant is the Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to Lieutenant Commander. Officers at this rank typically have some command experience, and are occasionally appointed department heads on starships. Typically they are shift commanders in a department under a Lieutenant Commander, ie a Lt Commander will be chief of engineering and will also be commander of A shift, and there will be a B and C shift, each under a Lietenant. Lieutenant Junior Grade Lieutenant Junior Grade is the Starfleet line rank immediately inferior to Lieutenant. Officers at this rank typically hold support positions on starships and starbases. At this rank, they have begun to prove their ability to perform acceptably in Starfleet, and typically begin to take on more senior roles in command situations. On rare occasions, Starfleet Cadets who post highly distinguished records at Starfleet Academy are granted the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade upon graduation, bypassing the traditional junior rank of Ensign. Dr. Julian Bashir is an example of one such officers. Other officers to whom this has been conjectured to happen include Captain James Kirk of the Enterprise and Lieutentant Saavik of Vulcan. Typical posts at this rank are con officer, communications officer or second officer of a shift (see lieutenant). Ensign Ensign is the most junior Starfleet Line rank. It is the rank bestowed on newly commissioned officers when they graduate from Starfleet Academy. Ensigns typically begin their careers as the most junior officers in the department of their chosen specialty. Ensigns who have strongly distinguished themselves in their academy class or on duty may sometimes be given posts as main-shift bridge officers (e.g. Ensign Harry Kim). A typical officer spends approximately three years at the rank of Ensign. Enlisted & Academy ranks The enlisted section of Starfleet is described as the "noncoms," short for "non-commissioned officer." These ranks are achieved by members of Starfleet who have not attended Starfleet Academy. :Rank insignia which are only conjecturally designated will be footnoted with an asterisk. Rank insignia with dark backgrounds are not derived from onscreen evidence, but behind the scenes sources or references (such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia). Master Chief Petty Officer Senior Chief Petty Officer Chief Petty Officer Petty Officer Crewman Cadet 1st class Cadets of this rank are fourth-year students at Starfleet Academy. After graduation, these Cadets are granted the rank of Ensign. Cadet 2nd class Cadets of this rank are third-year students at Starfleet Academy. Cadet 3rd class Cadets of this rank are second-year students at Starfleet Academy. Cadets at this rank take part in field training at a space station or outpost. Cadet 4th class Cadets of this rank are first-year students at Starfleet Academy. Notes # The March 2003 issue of Star Trek: The Magazine states there are no LTCMDR and LTJG ranks in Earth's Starfleet. This seems to be backed up by the series. Related topics *Cardassian ranks *Romulan ranks *Klingon ranks *MACO ranks